Cheng Muyun grabbed the person left behind at home, pulled him by the collar, and demanded with eyes wide with fury, "Where's Zhuohua? How did these people get in?"

The man dropped the basin of water in his hand. His face was covered in soot from fighting the fire. He was so frightened that he stammered, "Young Marshal... Uncle Li said that Madam is not at home. He opened the door, but we couldn't find Madam."

Cheng Muyun suddenly felt a headache coming on, and grabbed his subordinate by the neck, "What do you mean by not finding it? I'm asking you, where is Zhuohua!"

Zhang Qi ran over from among the servants fighting the fire, his forehead beaded with sweat, and said breathlessly, "Young Marshal, Madam is still inside! Someone saw Madam and Miss Hu go upstairs and haven't come down yet!"

Cheng Muyun flung away his subordinate who was trying to grab him, the force of his arm sweeping through the air, carrying a particularly pungent smell of burning.

He glanced at the raging fire that was devouring everything; the flames had already licked at the second-floor windowsill, and the wooden window frame creaked mournfully in the flames.

He turned around and rushed to the large water vat in the corner of the yard. Without thinking, he jumped in.

The icy water instantly washed over his head, shutting out the scorching air. His soaked military uniform clung tightly to his body, but it couldn't suppress the madness surging in his chest.

He buried his head deep into the water, letting the cold water soak through his hair, collar, and even his eyelashes. When he suddenly stood up from the water tank, he was soaked, as if he had been pulled out of an ice cellar, but his eyes were fixed intently on the fire.

"Young Marshal!" Zhang Qi rushed forward with lightning speed, his arms gripping his waist tightly like iron clamps, his nails almost digging into the soaked fabric. "You can't go in! The fire is too big, the roof beams could collapse at any moment! The fire brigade is already on its way, just wait a few more minutes!"

Cheng Muyun's muscles were taut like a fully drawn bow. The moment he was embraced, he twisted his body and grabbed Zhang Qi's wrist with his other hand. With a crisp "crack," he used the slipperiness of the water and his brute force to flip Zhang Qi to the ground.

Water splashed all over Zhang Qi's face. He lay on the ground and tried to get up, but Cheng Muyun stepped on the back of his hand.

"Don't stop me." Cheng Muyun's voice was forced out through clenched teeth, carrying the damp chill of water and the scorching heat of fire, "If anything happens to Zhuohua..."

He paused, the bloodshot veins in his eyes spreading like a spiderweb, each word laced with unwavering resolve, "I will never live alone!"

After saying that, he didn't look at Zhang Qi on the ground again, and walked towards the sea of ​​fire.

His soaked military uniform quickly steamed up white mist under the high temperature, and the water droplets on his hair turned into vapor as soon as they fell to the ground, but he seemed oblivious to it all, his eyes fixed on the figure that might still be waiting for him deep in the flames.

Cheng Muyun turned around and was about to rush into the fire when a voice behind him called out to him.

It was Madam Cheng's voice, a shrill scream: "Cheng Muyun!"

Cheng Muyun stopped in his tracks, slowly turned around, and water droplets dripped from his bangs. Through the crowd, Cheng Muyun saw Madam Cheng's face.

Madam Cheng's face was drained of color, and she trembled like a paper flower wilted by a sudden rain.

Her pupils dilated suddenly, her once gentle eyes now filled with a subtle panic, like a fish suddenly plunged into an ice cave, forgetting even to breathe.

She stood frozen in place, her back slightly hunched, as if she were about to be overturned by an invisible fear. Only a few stray strands of hair at her temples trembled violently with her rapid and unsteady heartbeat.

"Mu Yun, don't go in! It's too dangerous! Come back!"

Tears welled up in Madam Cheng's eyes. She had given birth to three children, lost her eldest son who was the most responsible, and then lost her youngest daughter whom she owed so much. Now she only had her youngest son left, and she couldn't bear to part with him.

Blood relatives are separated by death, and the white-haired bury the black-haired.

Having endured excruciating pain, Mrs. Cheng can no longer bear the thought of losing her last child!

When Cheng Muyun saw Cheng Yuguang behind Madam Cheng, he was also filled with worry.

But how could Cheng Muyun let go of Xu Zhuohua? The flames were greedily licking the window frame, threatening to drag his lover into hell every second. If he retreated now, he would spend the rest of his life burning with regret.

"Mother." He turned sharply to look at Madam Cheng, his voice hoarse as if it had been sanded, and the tears in his eyes shone brightly in the firelight, "Your son is unfilial."

Upon hearing these four words, Madam Cheng felt as if an invisible hand had gripped her throat tightly, her breath caught in her chest, and she couldn't even utter a cry.

Tears fell like broken beads, wetting the stray hairs at her temples. Her usually meticulously combed hair was now disheveled, with a few strands of gray hair clinging to her cheeks.

This usually dignified and self-possessed lady now had no charm left on her face, only a deep-seated fear—she knew clearly that she was about to lose the last child in the world.

"No, Mu Yun!" The pent-up emotions finally burst forth from her throat, and Madam Cheng's voice was so shrill it sounded like it was being torn apart. "Mu Yun, I beg you, don't go in! If anything happens to you, I won't be able to live either!"

Before she could finish speaking, she suddenly knelt down on the scorching ground with a thud. The dull thud of her knees hitting the bricks made everyone around her, who were carrying buckets of water to put out the fire, stop in their tracks.

Everyone's attention was drawn to this scene. The crackling of the fire seemed to freeze at that moment, leaving only Madam Cheng's suppressed sobs and Cheng Muyun's frozen figure.

Cheng Muyun stood in front of the firelight, the heat waves felt like countless hands, slapping his face and body wave after wave, making his skin feel tight and even his pores tremble.

My heart was pounding wildly in my chest, drumming against my ribs. The blood in my body seemed to suddenly flow backward, rushing to my head and then falling back to my lower abdomen. Every blood vessel was throbbing painfully, as if it would explode at any moment.

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